i don't need you to save me
by IssyEmm
Summary: Because when they kissed, it felt like a billion stars combusting together and exploding with such brightness that it could blind him. It felt like he wasn't the lonely man anymore, it felt like the part of him missing was just filled up by one person.


_This came from a prompt on Tumblr, and I just added a bit of back-story to it, so thank you very much to that person (I'm sorry, it doesn't say who it was from now that I replied). Enjoy _

He had lipstick smeared all over his pale lips and chin, and he was pretty sure there were quite a few bite marks and hickeys around his bare neck. His hair was all over the place, his fringe parted and hanging on two different sides of his head with the rest sticking up like he had been electrocuted. There were goose bumps running up his arms from the chill, but his back was searing from the many scratches made by a certain blonde's fingernails. He was sat in the little swing chair below the console, attempting to re-create his hat room after it mysteriously disappeared (not that he was accusing _anyone_ of doing that…), but was being rather distracted by the person walking around the console up above.

He was nearing the middle part of their timeline now, the good bit really, where they both knew each other well enough to be able to have a real relationship with one another. The part where they loved each other enough to do anything, go anywhere, see everything together. It was a beautiful state of living; he wouldn't want it to have happened any other way. If Fate came up to him one day and asked him if he wanted their timelines to be in sync, he would probably say no. Because as much as it hurt the both of them, as much as it tormented the couple, it made the relationship that much more real and that much more stunning.

She was stunning. He had always thought so, even at the beginning, although it had taken him a while to realize how attracted he was to her. But he had always been a bit slow with all the emotional stuff – his brain may be fabulous but it didn't deal with such simple things such as love as it did with great escapades from the Daleks or breaking his dear wife out of prison in the most exciting possible way. However, when he finally awoke, he knew that he loved her. She wasn't just a throwaway human being that he became attached to but then had to leave: she was completely indispensable. The only one left of his kind – it was funny how he nearly always forgot about that part of her being.

She was his equal in every way. Except she was everything he could never be. She would always be a part of him that didn't match up to the rest. But that's why she was just so brilliant. She was completely different to him and that's why, he supposed, he was attracted to her.

But beneath all the love he felt for her, all the passion and romance he shared with her, there was the immense feeling of guilt. She had slipped through his fingers all her life. He had been foolish and naïve and she had been taken when she was a baby. He didn't save her all through her childhood, all the times she used to scream in her sleep for him to come and take her away. He didn't save her through her teenage years when she began to hate him, when she began to understand why she had to kill him because he was just a monster. He didn't save her when she was an adult, she had to do it all by herself by sacrificing her remaining lives just for him.

He didn't save her when she killed him by Lake Silencio, he let her go to prison for not committing his murder. He didn't save her throughout her years with him – she was always the one saving him. But he saved her at the very end; the only time she ever really _needed _saving. And one day, one day when he finally came to die, he would save her one more time by spending the rest of forever with her in the Library system – a place where they could be together without any confusion, any death, and any catastrophes. A place where he could just love her every day.

He looked up through the Perspex flooring and saw her walking around, barefooted, dressed in his cotton shirt and her underwear. He had picked her up from Stormcage (escape number 224 – impersonating an intergalactic lawyer to get inside her cell and then whisking her away) last night and it was fair to say that, right now, they were both pretty exhausted. She dropped into the chair by the side of the console and let her magnificent curls fall over her barely covered shoulders. He loved that hair.

Suddenly, a shrill ringing began to beam out from the console, causing the Doctor to fall off his chair in surprise, and River to jump about six foot into the air. Collecting himself, realizing it was just the telephone, he repositioned himself back on his chair and promptly ignored it. Whoever it was could wait – his hats could come first for once after River had destroyed them all (he wasn't even going to pretend it wasn't her – he knew the way she worked).

'Sweetie, your phone's ringing!' River called complacently, dropping her head over the side of the Perspex floor, her corkscrew curls hanging in her eyes. She smiled reminiscently at his half-dressed figure, perched on his little chair below the console, fiddling with a few of the wires that weren't the ones that needed fixing, because it reminded her of how he used to be. She hadn't been with a version of him that actually _knew_ who she was for such a long time, and it overjoyed her to the point of wanting to jump in joy, but it also saddened her to a degree where she could collapse on the floor and sob, because she knew their time was ending – for her anyway.

'Yes River, phones tend to do that,' he muttered to himself, sliding off his chair and staring towards his wife, who was raising her eyebrows, looking unimpressed. He had the courtesy to blush at the thought of what he had just said, and began rushing up the stairs to answer the telephone, noticing he should probably answer it (who knows – it could be someone who wanted him to open a fez store in New Earth 7039). River swung her head back up, her hair springing around in the air, and she smirked as he tripped up the last stair and fell onto the console. _He was going to pay for that sarcastic comment later though_.

The Doctor straightened himself up against the console and buttons, and he quickly grabbed the phone as it came to the penultimate petulant ring. He glanced around to River, who was standing gracefully dressed in only his shirt and her underwear, leaning against the railings with one hand on her hip. She looked a bit too attractive and it distracted him insanely, causing him to miss the gist of the anxious cries pouring down his telephone receiver. Dragging his gaze away from her, the Doctor concentrated on the call and the caller rather than his lovely wife. 'Sorry, what was that?'

His face fell instantly after only a few seconds. 'Oh.' River recognized his expression as one that meant _something bad has happened_ and she instantly dropped her enticing and alluring expression and rushed to his side. 'Doctor, what happened?' she hissed anxiously, resisting the urge to tug on his sleeve like a child to catch his attention. It took him a few moments to snap out of it, but he then turned to River, worry mixed with…something she just couldn't put her finger on, all over his face and he nervously began with,'River, it's your mother on the phone. Rory kind of…'

_Oh God; dad was in trouble_. River immediately interrupted his explanation, apprehension patched all over her radiant face. 'Doctor, what is it? Is dad okay?' she murmured shakily, uneasiness settling into her train of thoughts as to what might've happened. All her life, she had grown up with her parents like everyone else, but in a completely different way. She grew up as their best friend rather than their daughter and she always wondered what her life would've been like if she hadn't been stolen. She could blame the Doctor for that, but in all honesty, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

'Your father fell into a-' the Doctor continued when River silenced herself in anticipation for his explanation. But once again, his loyal wife interrupted in her panicked and frenzied state. 'Oh God, he hasn't fallen into a volcano or anything has he? Mum and dad said they were going to go hiking once when they were about twenty, and maybe they have and you know how clumsy he is…'

'No River, stop worrying, he fell into a pond in the Lake District.'

River realized the thing she couldn't detect in his tone was amusement. And then the Doctor dropped the phone onto the console and they both collapsed into helpless fits of laughter. She laughed so hard that tears started rolling down her cheeks and she had to hold onto him to stop herself from falling over, but he was also kind of hunched over, laughing hysterically.

After they both managed to calm themselves down to the degree where they weren't choking on their giggles, the Doctor finally replied, 'We'll be there in a second Amy. Do not fear, Mr and Mrs Song are on their way.' He glanced towards River and mouthed _Just like superheroes_. She chuckled once more, wiping a few remaining tears away from her now almost-alien blue eyes.

'So she finally managed to get you to take her name? That's my girl,' River heard Amy chuckle down the phone and she grinned heartily at how her mother remembered their last conversation. It had been around three months ago for her and they had purely discussed what River and the Doctor's married names were. It had been just days after their wedding for Amy, but several years for River, but River vowed that she would get him to take her name. After all, it was the family tradition for the husband to take the wife's name.

The Doctor looked suspiciously at River, his amused face now gone, and then towards the phone and mouthed _Did you?_ to which River just shrugged complacently. He diverted his attention back to the phone and muttered, 'Oh quiet.' And before Amy could wittily respond and embarrass his honour again, the Time Lord hung up the phone, placing it quickly back onto the receiver.

He clapped his hands and ran around the console, pressing random buttons and pulling levers which were all wrong. River watched in half-admiration and half-frustration, and the Doctor continued this assortment of mistreatment towards his TARDIS before turning to River and saying, 'Urm, River, I will be needing my shirt back…'

She smiled flirtily and he could see that twinkle in her eyes that only appeared when she was going to do something that would only ever end in him being handcuffed to the backboard of their bed. 'Well come get it then,' she called teasingly and undid the top button of the shirt, showing off a little more chest area than was probably necessary. Not that he minded of course.

He stared in shock, but was also captivated before he suddenly exclaimed, 'What? No, we don't have time to play around. Your father could be in mortal danger-'

Rive rolled her eyes at him, 'Sweetie, he fell in a pond. Dad's quite capable of getting himself out. Mum's just being a worrier. And anyway, by the time we get there, he'll be out or you'll end up in the 57th century at some wedding which we weren't invited to.' Through her speech, she had been walking closer to him, approaching with caution so he couldn't quite reach out and grab her. She stepped one more step and then turned her back and called, 'Again.'

'Hey, technically that wasn't my fault and one of the guests was a lethal android so…' the Doctor responded hotly, defending himself against the mockery of his wife. He took a few strides towards her, like a hunter descending on its prey, but she was too clever, detecting this and also stepping backwards, edging around the TARDIS in what would end up being a never ending chase around the console. '… Never mind. But River, on principle.'

'I told you,' she sang sweetly and he frowned at her, 'you can have it back if you come and get it.' She looked at him across the console and challenged him with that luscious expression on her face. To her surprise, he smiled broadly and then replied, in a low, gravelly tone**, **'Oh, you're going to wish you hadn't said that River.'

She managed to pull herself together and lock away her shock and reply, in that same low and flirty voice, 'No regrets Sweetie.' Oh she _asked _for it.

Beginning rather slowly, like a cheetah, studying its prey from behind the high grass, he approached her and she looked quite undaunted until he broke into a run and started full on chasing her, flailing his arms in front of him in an attempt to reach out and grab her. She squealed innocently and began to do the same, sprinting up the stairs towards the corridor, and he saw no choice but to pursue the chase and follow her.

He ran after her for what felt like hours. He chased her down endless corridors, through every kitchen, every bathroom, every bedroom, but she was always one step ahead of him, turning off to the side when he was least expecting it. But finally, he caught up with her outside the cinema whilst she had briefly turned around, amusement etched all over her face and she had called,'You'll never catch me Sweetie.'

'Oh River, I'm an old man you know I can't keep up,' he said weakly, feigning tiredness.

'Not that old Doctor. You seemed to have plenty of stamina earlier,' she pointed out and he flushed bright red. She winked at him and the corner of her lips curled into a sly grin before she continued to pace away from him. He treaded carefully, inch by inch so she wouldn't notice that he was getting closer and closer with every second and made up at least a foot of space between them before she realized what he was doing.'Oh you bad, bad girl Doctor Song,' he whispered darkly in response to her earlier statement.

She smiled broadly and flipped her hair, 'Always.' It was times like this when he cursed her for being too damn attractive and irresistible, and cursed himself for falling so deeply in love with every single part of her.

Suddenly, he pounced like a lion and smashed right into her, sending her toppling to the ground with him on top. He pinned her arms to the floor and straddled her and she looked up at him, still laughing, yet not accepting defeat. He leant down and whispered into her ear, 'Got you Song. Do you give in?' His lips were so close to her flesh that with every word he spoke, she could feel his breath on her cheek – and it felt magnificent. He trailed his lips lightly across her jawbone, paying her back for all the teasing she had put him through earlier.

She shivered when his lips moved from her jaw to her neck and he started gently placing his lips to her collar bone, and she squirmed in his tight grip and whispered, 'No.' The Doctor gently kissed her once more on her clavicle and then drew his face away from her slightly. 'No, Doctor Song? Do you still not give in? I see no way of you getting out of this.'

Upon his last statement, she smiled the widest she had since he picked her up (which was an impressive feat considering) and whispered, 'Oh Sweetie – _there's always a way out_.' And just like that, the Doctor was placed back into second place.

How she managed to get out his grip he would never know, but he thought it probably had something to do with the private chat she and Harry Houdini had had a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, within ten seconds, she was standing up straight behind him, holding both of his wrists behind his back in a death grip. 'Oh you're lucky I don't have my handcuffs on me Sweetie,' she murmured into his skin, pressing her lips against his neck when she spoke just like he had done when he had been in the position of power. She kissed him on the edge of his jawbone and then released his wrists and he fell forwards slightly, and then turned around, turning on the puppy-dog look.

'Can I have my shirt back?' He was actually resigned to begging her now, too tired to continue chasing her endlessly around his time machine. 'So we can go rescue your father?' he asked, trying to appeal to her better nature which he was sure she did have somewhere underneath all the flirting and teasing.

She sighed theatrically and stared down at her nails and then up at his face. She grinned at his reddened cheeks and then leant against the corridor wall and whispered, 'Oh Doctor, you only have to say the magic words.' He thought for a while about it, wondering what sort of game she was playing before he literally just gave him and cried**, **'_Please_ can I have it back?'

She just_ smirked._'Sweetie,' she began in a voice that really questioned his sanity, 'did you ever think it would be that simple with me?' The incredulity in her voice was so strong it almost sounded real, but he knew she was still mocking him. But she grinned playfully and blew him a kiss across the three metres parting them.

'That wasn't my final answer!' he protested, 'Urm, is it "if you don't give it back I won't let you fly the TARDIS for a week"?'

'Empty threat Sweetie; she prefers me flying her and she won't let you fly her consecutively for a week because it would kill her. And no, that's still not it.'

'Hey! I'm not that bad! I managed perfectly well for the past seven hundred years and…'

'Oh Sweetie,_ shut up_.'

And with that said, she just stepped six steps towards him, having the disadvantage of not being able to pull him by those ridiculous braces and kissed him. Their lips moved soundlessly together, joining not only their bodies together, but their souls as well. She placed a hand on each bare shoulder and he wrapped one arm loosely around her waist and brushed the other against her cheek, twirling just his index finger around a singular curl hanging by the side of her face.

It's a specific Time Lord thing, kissing. It's not just a random token of affection like it is for humans, kissing in their culture just means so much more. A kiss from one Time Lord to another is not just a gratification for a nice date or a means of saying _I quite like you_, it is a promise, a promise so deep that it can never be forgotten, to love that person forever, without any regrets or issues. It is a promise to always be there, to always be faithful, to be honest and trustworthy – it's almost like a marriage in itself. And that's precisely why he kisses her, and why she kisses him. Because they know that they will always love each other. It's not fake, and it's not replaceable. He knows that when he loses her, he won't ever love anybody else ever again. He had loved before her: Rose, Sarah, Romana, but this time was just different.

Because when they kissed, it felt like a billion stars combusting together and exploding with such brightness that it could blind him. It felt like he wasn't the lonely man anymore, it felt like the part of him that had been missing for so long had just been filled up by one person. And it felt like love.

'I love you River Song.' The words were unnecessary because he had just told her in every way that he did love her without speaking. She looked confused because of the meaning that he put into those three words. She didn't completely understand their traditions, having never grown up or even been to Gallifrey to experience their way of life, but she still knew how important relationships were to Time Lords. It was just something she had always known, some subconscious thing in the back of her head where anything not psychopathic was buried – before the Doctor, she had never dated, even as Mels, when she had been a young and reckless twenty year-old.

She steadily undid the buttons of his shirt, and slipped her arms out of the sleeves before giving it back to him, surrendering at last, and then kissed him on the cheek.

'That was all you needed to say Sweetie.' But the words didn't come out as sexily and flirtily as she would've liked. They sounded more compassionate and more romantic than she could've imagined and she smiled serenely as she walked towards the wardrobe, realizing for one of the first times how beautiful he was.

He watched her go, and he smiled the same as she did, thought the same as she did, and once she was out of sight, he leant against the corridor wall and muttered, 'Oh the things that woman does to me are illegal in 24 galaxies.'

_But I would give up those twenty four galaxies, I would give up time-travelling, I would give up everything for her. I would even give up the fez._


End file.
